Thursday Mar 28, 2024

Sheep Gate

The sheep gate in Nehemiah’s time and under his supervision was repaired by Eliashib and the priests under him.  (Nehemiah 3:1). The “sheep gate” was located in the northeast corner of Jerusalem near the Temple area. It was where the sheep were brought to the Temple to be sacrificed on the altar. Eliashib sanctified the sheep gate, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. (Nehemiah 3:1).  Sheep for sacrificial offering were probably led to the temple through this gate. The goldsmiths and the merchants repaired between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate. (Nehemiah 3:32).

The King James Version of the Bible translates the sheep market in John 5:2 “Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.”). Being positioned east of the Fish Gate by the Tower of the Hundred, near the pool of Bethesda (Bethsaida) and a short distance from the modern St. Stephen’s Gate.  (Elwell. 1988).

The Sheep Gate (other times called the Benjamin Gate) north of the temple mount, exits from the area of the Bethesda Pool (known in this period as the Sheep Pool) into the Kidron Valley. It is toward the northern side of the east wall and would have led to the Jericho road. The tower of the hundred and tower of Hananel. These two towers were positioned on the northwest side of the city near the Temple Mount. This is about the same location as the Antonia fortress in Herod’s Jerusalem. (Matthews. 2000).

References:

 Elwell, Walter A. l and Beitzel, Barry J. (1943). Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Matthews, Victor Harold; Mark W. Chavalas and John H. Walton. (2000). The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Cite Article Source

MLA Style Citation:

Holstein, Joanne ” Sheep Gate:.” Becker Bible Studies Library May 2015.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2857,>.

APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, May) ” Sheep Gate:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2857,.

Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) ” Sheep Gate:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (May), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2857, (accessed).

joanneholstein

Joanne Holstein is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and Author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She is a graduate of Psychology/Christian and Bible Counseling with Liberty University. She is well-known as a counselor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. She is a leading authority on historical development of Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults.
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